Instagrammer Jil Hinds (@thepinkjardin) asked her followers a question in a popular gardening post that went viral: "Did you know that squash, grape, and cucumber leaves are not only edible, but have great health benefits?"
The scoop
In her video, Jil explains how she loves to use the leaves of these foods by harvesting, washing, and steaming them for one to two minutes.
Then, she stuffs the leaves with fried rice and mushrooms before rolling them up like a burrito and sauteing them until they have a crispy exterior.
"I love cooking squash blossoms, but the young tender leaves are very nutritious and make great wraps," Jil wrote.
She provided the recipe in the caption, which uses six to 10 cucumber or grape leaves with a bit of olive oil, fried rice, and sauteed mushrooms.
How it's helping
Jil's video is insightful because it reveals the culinary potential of things growing in your garden that you might otherwise just throw away.
Food waste is a legitimate problem in America, yet the perfect place to start tackling the issue is in your own backyard.
When you use more parts of the plants you grow, you'll save time and money on buying more food from the grocery store. You'll also fill your belly with delicious and nutritious foods while learning new cooking techniques that you can share with your friends and neighbors.
As an added benefit, you'll keep unnecessary food out of landfills where it would otherwise decay and release potent, planet-warming methane gas that lingers in the air for months or even years.
What people are saying
Many of Jil's fellow Instagrammers had no idea you could eat these leaves and turn them into an easy, healthy dish. Now, they were inspired to try cooking the leaves and make the most of their gardening efforts.
"I've heard of the flower buds being eaten (and have seen them sold at the farmers market), but I never thought about using the leaves (or to think they were edible)," an Instagram user wrote in the comments. "Great gluten-free wrap right there!"
"These look amazing!" admired another.
Another person wrote, "Yesss my Korean mother-in-law makes the best steamed pumpkin leaves!!! Stuff with rice and ssamjang...100% absolutely the best."
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